


Rich and Michael in the Bathroom

by thefamilybusinessiswincest



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Gen, Gender Dysphoria, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Loosely based on Michael in the Bathroom, M/M, Self-Hatred, Trans Michael Mell, Trans Rich Goranski, Underage Drinking, deadnaming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 06:58:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11915568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefamilybusinessiswincest/pseuds/thefamilybusinessiswincest
Summary: The Halloween party, reimagined.





	Rich and Michael in the Bathroom

**Author's Note:**

> Ask me to tag anything if I missed something. This is my first work on here, be gentle.

For the first time in years, Rich Goranski heard nothing but silence. No condescending computer voice, no teasing from other kids, no hateful words he wished he could take back. Silence. Perfect. He was just the right combination of tipsy and high to get rid of the squip.

He sat in the basement of Jake's house. The party was raging on, but somehow distant and relatively quiet from down there. Maybe it was the beer, maybe the weed. Who knows. He could, however, hear the faint sound of someone crying nearby. Rich figured he might as well check it out while he was buzzed enough for the squip to fuck off.

He knocked on the bathroom door, “Hey, is anyone in there?” Usually, the squip corrected it for him, but his lisp stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Fuck off, it's occupied,” the words may have been angry, but the tone was leaning more towards speaking through tears.

Rich leaned against the door and slid his back down, “I'm here if you need me, man. I'm here to listen.”

He heard silence for a good minute or two, and then the sound of the door unlocking. He stood up and braced himself for the worst. Maybe it was someone he'd bullied earlier and was crying. God, he hoped that wasn't the case. ~~He was such an asshole sometimes, maybe it's not just the squip. Maybe it's him. Maybe he's just a terrible person. Maybe he's…~~ He just hoped this guy was alright.

He opened the door and saw a guy curled up, fully clothed, in the bathtub. Just a ball of red fabric and tears. “I'm sorry I'm so pathetic. I just lost my only friend,” he knew this guy.

Anti-social headphones kid? Red hoodie dude who hangs with beanstalk? Fuck, what was his name?

“I promise you're not pathetic, Michael.”

“Rich?” Michael asked, “Wow, are you just going to use this to torment me too? What else do you want?”

Rich was taken aback. Fuck, fuck, fuck, he knew he hurt people, but he didn't want to. He liked Michael, even if the kid only ever hung out with Jeremy Heere.

“I'm sorry about the shit I do to you. The squips are dangerous, man. I can't get it out and it just fucks with your head. I'm sure you ‘lost your only friend’ because of these little shits.”

Michael hummed a response, clearly not feeling anything too verbal right now. He sat on the edge of the bath and played with Michael's hair, slowly, gently ~~, lovingly~~. Minutes passed and suddenly, Rich heard a third voice, not his own, not Michael’s.

 _“Rich Goranski, all systems back online,”_ a brief pause, _“I can't believe you're this pathetic, talking to the local stoner boy. You’ve really outdone yourself this time. Maybe you should've just offed yourself like you wanted to instead of coming to this party. No one likes you here anyway. Not the real you, not Rachel Goranski. They only like you because of me. Without me, you'd be nothing. Even with me, you're still nothing, just dressed better and slightly less shitty.”_

Michael noticed that Rich stopped playing with his hair, but when he turned to face the other boy, he saw something unexpected. Rich was sitting on the floor nearby, with his knees pulled tightly to his chest.

“I let you down, I let everyone down. I should've just offed myself. Everyone hates me. I know. Everything about my is awful and I can't be fixed. I'm Rachel, I'm daddy's girl. I'm not a real boy…” Michael could hear the smaller boy mumbling this hate to himself and felt a pang of sadness kick in, but he also felt the need to help.

“Shh, Rich. Look at me, we're going to breathe together and you're going to listen to me, okay?” The boy looked up at him, and Michael could see the tears streaking his face, streaking his makeup? Fuck. He could see bruises on the small boy's face. Michael refocused himself and looked into Rich's soft, brown eyes.

“You're not worthless, Rich. You're so important to so many people. Being trans is okay, hell, I'm trans too, and dysphoria can be a bitch, but we'll get through together, okay, buddy?”

_“He's lying to you. You're not important.”_

“Hey, whatever that stubborn calculator is saying is wrong. Focus back on me.”

Rich spoke, his voice cracking, “Can you just hold me? I need to feel something real.”

_“I didn't think you could sink this far low, Rachel. Hey, at least you found the one person on this entire planet who doesn't find you completely repulsive.”_

Michael helped Rich into his sweater, hoping the bundle of red would help too. He wrapped his arms around Rich and brought the boy between his legs, effectively engulfing him. Rich leaned his head onto Michael's chest, listening to the other boy’s heartbeat.

The squip was still yelling at him, but it wasn't nearly as important to listen to as the steady thump-thump of Michael's heart. Both boys needed this. They both needed the comfort they found in each other. Michael wasn't alone in the bathroom, and Rich wouldn't sit in uneasy silence anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading my trash, it's a lot of projection onto Rich on my part. Kudos and comments are appreciated, have a great day! Say hello, if you want. I'm on Tumblr at savingthefamilybusiness and I'm the mod for Rich on ask-middleborough-gays.tumblr.com


End file.
